Tongariro Crossing

A superb day! D & I walked up to the Red Crater, on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing walk, admired the South, Red & North Craters, the Emerald Lakes and generally the traces of wild volcanic activities. And then retraced our steps back down the Mangetepopo Valley.

This image shows Mt Ngaruahoe, and the centre of the Red Crater. There's an interesting dike formation, showing right in the centre - go Large. It's a hollow lava tube, formed when molten magnum flowed out from below, and the outside solidified. Fascinating!

The whole world and his dog were walking the TAC today. We often crossed paths with certain groups, and one particular group of young people from Singapore were really fun and interesting. They were intrigued that a couple of oldies like us were doing the Crossing, and I had to give all 6 of them a big hug when we said Goodbye. How lovely is that!

I found it a challenging day, getting up to 1850m (6069') and walking 18 kms. I have rather tired legs and think I will sleep really well.